5 Board Games Turned Into Movies

Don’t you love it when your childhood memories come to life? Who else was super excited when Legos announced their movie series? In one of our previous blog posts, we talked about the power of nostalgia and why we, as humans, seek it out. Nostalgia takes us to simpler times (more often than not), and it allows us to escape reality and return to a place that made us feel an assortment of different emotions. Some can be good, while others can be sad, but most of the time, we long for our childhood days, where everything seemed to be much simpler. 

It’s always exciting when the games we grew up playing decide to come to life through hitting the theaters. Here are five must-have movies based on games that you have to see! 

Monopoly

A timeless board game that individuals from all generations can relate to. Monopoly’s history can be traced all the way back to 1903 where it was inspired by a game called “The Landlord’s Game” originally created by Elizabeth Magie to teach players about the negative sides of Georgism and the centralization of land by private monopolies. Over the past several decades, Monopoly has seen various style changes and has been licensed in hundreds of special editions. In 2008 Universal Pictures announced a film version of the game in partnership with Hasbro, however development was halted by Universal in 2012 and the film rights were passed through a variety of production companies over the next 7 years. Thankfully in January 2019 it was announced that Allspark Pictures plans to produce the movie in partnership with Kevin Hart. Fans of Monopoly can finally get excited again in anticipation!

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Clue

The detective board game of the century is dated back to 1949. As most of you know, in the game of Clue, the players are trying to investigate who made the murder. In 1985, nearly 30 years later, they did a mystery comedy film that was based on the Clue board game. This movie was created in the ’80s, so it’s a little outdated in terms of technology, but it’s a must-watch! It takes you back to those days playing with your cousins at odd hours of the night. This board game has remained a staple within the industry… some things never die! (Well, besides everyone in the game). 

Candyland

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Ah, didn’t we all love how aimlessly fun this board game was? This was definitely one of the best board games growing up because it took no skill! It was all based on what cards you dealt with and who would win the race first! Candyland is still the perfect gift for young children! You can never go wrong with a land made out of candy; what kid wouldn’t love that?! Believe it or not, Candyland dates back to 1948. It’s been bought and sold so many times and updated that it looks much different from it’s beginning years, but the concept remains the same! In 2005, the release of Candyland: The Great Lollipop Adventure hit the movies! Now, this movie may not be as fun to watch if you’re no longer a child, but it’s still something you should pass on to your kids! Not only will your kids love it, but it’ll bring back your childhood just enough to make you feel that happy, go-lucky emotion we call nostalgia.

Battleship

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Battleship sure does bring it back! If you haven’t been exposed to this classic game, it’s a matter of two players playing against each other, with the intention to fire “pegs” at the other opponent in hopes to bring down their ship. Now, the movie took everyone by surprise by adding an interesting spin during the battle– aliens showed up. Ha! This movie is a little far-flung, but it’s one that’ll have you laughing with it’s over-the-top concept. It’s one of those movies you have to watch, yet you don’t even understand why!

Ouija 

We had to throw in a scary one… I guess you could consider Oujia a board game? Although, you may not want to play unless you want to connect with spirits, that tend to be evil, yikes. This definitely is a spooky, thriller and it’s correctly based off the game and its rules. The movie version was released in 2014, and tells the story of a girl who encounters a Ouija board in her dead best friend's bedroom. She uses the board to try and connect with her best friend, yet gets connected with a much more evil spirit. This movie is great for a rainy night cuddled up on the couch, that is, if you can handle it!

What is your favorite board game that turned into a movie? We’d love to know! Share our blog and tell us a film that brought your favorite board game to life! 

Image Sources

Clue

Candyland

Battleship

Ouija